Journey's uncanny new vocalist wows at Verizon

[Barb]

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/jour ... eart-cheap

Thursday, July 17, 2008
Journey's uncanny new vocalist wows at Verizon
Review: Arnel Pineda, the band's Filipino surprise, delivered a performance to rival Steve Perry in Irvine, topping a bill bolstered by wailing from Heart and Cheap Trick.
By BEN WENER
The Orange County Register
Comments | Recommend

Without hearing a word of their conversation, I knew exactly what was being discussed between the two women in front of me Wednesday night at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater just minutes into the headlining set from Journey, the Bay Area band that has once more been reconstituted – and is once again selling. Indeed, the quintet sold out this stop on its summer tour, though surely it helped to have fellow classic-rock favorites Heart and Cheap Trick on the bill.

The pantomime I watched these ladies perform – I suspect something similar happened throughout the Irvine venue as one stunned fan after another got a load of the group's remarkable new singer, Arnel Pineda.

First: a perplexed look from the woman on the left, accompanied by shrugged shoulders.

Next: a halting gesture from the one on the right, raising her hand to cover her friend's eyes.

And then: the exaggerated reaction. Whoaaaaaa doesn't quite convey it.

It's positively baffling: What your ears hear doesn't quite connect to what your eyes see. How is it possible that this tireless Filipino spitfire with stringy black hair, who guitarist Neal Schon discovered last summer via YouTube clips of him singing covers in his former band the Zoo, could sound so eerily like Steve Perry, that rarely rivaled voice of every Journey smash?

Words really don't do the uncanny resemblance justice. It's not just that Pineda can nail – I mean, flat-out perfectly nail – all of Perry's helium-high notes. It's more so that he unerringly mimics everything else about his voice – the tonal qualities, the phrasing and inflections, the way it can be both bell-like yet passionately gritty at the same time.

It's crazy frightening what Pineda can do, and it makes me wonder if the 40-year-old, long a successful working musician back in Manila, learned not just how to sing but how to speak English from listening religiously to "Wheel in the Sky" and "Don't Stop Believing." Not many other explanations make much sense.

I know what you're thinking: OK, so this guy does the job better than the real thing (who is nearly 60) probably could at this point. Does that make this version of Journey anything more than a tribute to itself?

Yes and no. It's fitting that the band titled its 13th album (and first with Pineda) "Revelation," for not only does the term apply to the wonder vocalist, it speaks to the rebirth of the group itself, still featuring two true originals (Schon and bassist Ross Valory), longtime keyboardist Jonathan Cain (on board since 1980) and drummer Deen Castronovo (keeping time since '98).

The new disc doesn't exactly break new ground for hard rock, yet it restores Journey to the sweeping, chugging, anthemic stuff that defined its 1978-1983 heyday. Songs like "Never Walk Away," "Change for the Better" and "Wildest Dream" were here almost interchangeable with lesser-known album tracks from that platinum era like "Stone in Love," "Escape" and "Chain Reaction." No wonder the June release debuted at No. 5 and has already gone gold in another slumping summer. (It helps to have packaged it as a double-disc job with Pineda proving his mettle on a dozen staples.)

What was plainly evident Wednesday night, though, is that with Pineda leaping about – so much so that at times he left himself needlessly winded – Journey has been revitalized. No more is this a tired outfit milking the nostalgia circuit. Well, OK, it is totally milking the nostalgia circuit – though let me be the first to point to your cynical soul if you can't appreciate the sheer pleasure of 15,000 people singing along to "Lights" and "Faithfully" and the na-na-na-na-nacoda of "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'."

All the same, Journey now performs with renewed vigor (Schon's solos soared as much as Pineda's voice) and has at least one eye cast toward a Benetton-ready future, thanks to Pineda's inclusion. (Asian fans, some hoisting the Philippines flag, were more prevalent than ever before.)

His discovery is a stroke of uncommon good luck that INXS and even Lynyrd Skynyrd, both surviving with viable replacement vocalists, never quite got. For some reason I think a lot of Journey fans might stop caring whether Steve Perry ever returns.

Pineda was hardly the only standout wailer this evening, of course. Heart's Ann Wilson was in characteristically robust form during the group's hour-long set, navigating the roaring passages of the Who's "Love Reign O'er Me" as adeptly as she did the dramatic pleas of "Magic Man" and "Alone," the latter smartly scaled back to just piano and guitar. (Likewise, sister Nancy's spotlight, "These Dreams," was tempered by a mellower, mandolin-tinged arrangement.)

More than it has in a long while locally, Heart here reminded why so many grunge figures revere the Wilsons; the roiling "Mistral Wind," a gritty "Barracuda" and a take on Led Zep's "Going to California" that retained bite were proof. It's shameful they're not in the Hall of Fame by now.

Cheap Trick, meanwhile, the only band still in its original form, continued to serve its past well by dishing out raw-but-not-ragged renditions of "California Man," "Dream Police" and the classic "Surrender." Drummer Bun E. Carlos and 12-string bassist Tom Petersson remain models of powerful simplicity. Frontman Robin Zander's belting benefited from more bark and bluster than usual. And guitarist Rick Nielsen remains underrated – Billy Corgan might slot just fine into the Trick, but Nielsen could hold his own on all of baldy's Smashing Pumpkins licks.

Contact the writer: 714-796-2248 or bwener@ocregister.com

[NealIsGod]

Words really don't do the uncanny resemblance justice. It's not just that Pineda can nail – I mean, flat-out perfectly nail – all of Perry's helium-high notes. It's more so that he unerringly mimics everything else about his voice – the tonal qualities, the phrasing and inflections, the way it can be both bell-like yet passionately gritty at the same time.

He hits the notes but does not sound anything like Perry. The more I see reports like this the closer I get to becoming card carrying Loon.

[Michigan Girl]

"I know what you're thinking: OK, so this guy does the job better than the real thing (who is nearly 60) probably could at this point. Does that make this version of Journey anything more than a tribute to itself?"

NOPE....wasn't thinking that at all!!! But he sounds FAB.....good article!!!

[Babyblue]

I know what you're thinking: OK, so this guy does the job better than the real thing (who is nearly 60) probably could at this point. Does that make this version of Journey anything more than a tribute to itself?"

Well i do agree with the tribute band.And the new guy will never be as great as Perry.I guess i am a loon then.And damn proud of it.

[tammy]

It's a good review. But, I doubt a lot are gonna forget about SP. If anything it makes them think more about him. I can listen & enjoy AP on the new stuff & then when I play SP I get "that rush"...an emotional connection that will always be.

[Marzdog]

It's a good review. But, I doubt a lot are gonna forget about SP. If anything it makes them think more about him. I can listen & enjoy AP on the new stuff & then when I play SP I get "that rush"...an emotional connection that will always be.

I disagree. The casual fan, not those on this BB or the other place, asks "what happened to Steve Perry", then hears the first vocals out of Arnel's mouth, and for them, it is game/set/match "who cares what happened to Steve Perry." That is EXACTLY what the reaction was with the people seated (or standing for that matter) around me last night.

As far as the show goes, the review was pretty spot on. The typical LA/OC crowd that shows up late (only the seats down by us seemed empty; everything up top and in LOGE was packed) missed Cheap Trick, who put on a pretty good show (hadn't seen them before). Not bad for a bunch of old fuckers. They sounded incredibly tight, but, no doubt who runs that band (Rick). As Heart came on, the seats around us filled. heart was amazing! Ann Wilson has one of the best set of pipes in rock and roll; WOW! I still don't understand why Nancy dresses the way she does.

As far as Journey goes, I think we, those on this BB or the other place, are beyond critical of EVERYTHING this band does. My wife LOVED the show and is now glad that I've been playing Revelation around the house. Me, well, dare I? LOL

I will admit, I was on the fence when I first heard Arnel at the show in Chile. Ive come full circle and I''m sold with what he can do for Journey vocally, which is to bring back a signature sounding voice that Neal and Jon want. Musicanship was top notch, Deen is better than ever. Both Neal and Jon's solos eat ass. The flow of Journey's set is beyond brutal. I loved that they opened with Majestic and then go into NWA. OTY is fine in the second slot, but, you are trying to get people hyped, to go crazy, don't bring in Neal's solo just after the show has started. BTW, the piped in keyboards during OTY are awful and some of the "prerecorded" background vocals are overpowering. They can make a trio out of Lights/AATY/OA in the dead center of the show and package everything else around it, putting AATY in the middle so that it keeps asses in the seats. I have no problem with using Faithfully as the closer (again). I'm glad that Escape was put back into the set, but, not as an encore song. They should get a hold of David Chase and ask permission to use the video sequence of the last scenes of The Sopranos to open up the encore with DSB. The Journey logo ala Sopranos style is a pretty cool graphic.

As the show got towards the end, Arnel's accent really shows through (it really isn't noticable at the outset to middle). Also, there were some "weird" sounds during their set that certainly weren't coming from the stage.

Next, I find it unfathomable that Journey can't PROPERLY promote their own new CD/DVD package during their show. The new "CD", as it was referred to, was only mentioned twice during the show. You would have thought that management would have the graphic of the cover of Revelation up on the screen a bit to let people know such a thing existed and what it looked like. Many people don't stop at the t-shirt stand to even look at the now $35+ shirts and whatever else they might be selling. For as "great" as Azoff Management is said to be, they ate a giant dick on this one. They (Journey) are probably getting 100% of the profits/royalties for any CD/DVDs sold at the shows and are still getting big bucks on what is being sold at Walmart. YOU, Journey, are your own promotion machine. PROMOTE!!!! For this alone, Azoff Management should be fired! Promote the fact that the CD is on sale at the show and at Walmart EXCLUSIVELY.

To go along with that thought, the use of the video screen above/behind Deen is embarrassing. Graphics? The only graphic should've been the cover of Revelation; no other computer generated bullshit that at some points, the computer started to slow down and couldn't get the graphics to run properly. Also, the fact that Neal is a co-owner of Nocturne, he should be saying to his partner and the staff "give me the latest and greatest shit!" There should be pen sized cameras all over Deen's drums, not just one. The camera on Jonathan's keys is cool (even though his piano solo eats ass; did I cover that enough?). Put a pen cam on Neal's guitars so that the guy who is stoned off of his ass up in the lawn "seats" thinks that was the best part of the show. If Nocturne were to do the lighting and video job that they did last night for a U2 or Madonna, they'd get their ass fired! Bring back the moving lights, push the technology that put Nocturne on the map, especially when the owner is on stage. For fuck sake Neal, you took back this band as the "main shareholder", have some pride to show it off better.

Last, why not try and tie in, again, for the casual fan, where Only The Young and Ask The Lonely come from? Go find whomever you need to in order to get the OK to play pieces of Vision Quest & One Of A Kind on the large video screen while mixing in with the live feed so that people can put 2+2 together (OK, maybe not so much on Ask The Lonely/One Of A Kind...LOL). You want computer generated graphics? Tie in some of the album covers so that the casual fan that comes to the shows leaves with the images in his/her head of what the covers look like so they can go buy them. The goal is to sell BOTH CD/DVD's as well as concert tickets.

Now that I've typed all that (and will probably get flamed), all in all, I enjoyed the show. LOL

[jrnyjetster]

Appreciated that review, marzdog! How are you? What did you mean by Neal and Jon's solos "eat ass"

You're right, the band should be promoting the shit out of REVELATION! Did you notice if they were selling it at the swag stand?

[Marzdog]

I'm fine; thanks for asking.

Both Jon and Neal are such fine musicians. Neal SHOULD NOT be playing "Amazing Grace" for his solo; he should be original with his solo and stop playing the tired old shit that he has been for the past 10 years.

Jonathan, well, he's just is a piece of shit. The vid zoomed in on him at various times during the show and it looked like he just wasn't digging it. His solos have always (IMO) sucked.

Deen and Arnel have really hit it off. The way they "feed" off one another really shows. Ross is still Ross.

Yes, the CD was on sale, but, I didn't stop to see for how much.

[SF-Dano]

Words really don't do the uncanny resemblance justice. It's not just that Pineda can nail – I mean, flat-out perfectly nail – all of Perry's helium-high notes. It's more so that he unerringly mimics everything else about his voice – the tonal qualities, the phrasing and inflections, the way it can be both bell-like yet passionately gritty at the same time.

He hits the notes but does not sound anything like Perry. The more I see reports like this the closer I get to becoming card carrying Loon.

Oh no! Surely the first sign of the apocalypse.

[NealIsGod]

Words really don't do the uncanny resemblance justice. It's not just that Pineda can nail – I mean, flat-out perfectly nail – all of Perry's helium-high notes. It's more so that he unerringly mimics everything else about his voice – the tonal qualities, the phrasing and inflections, the way it can be both bell-like yet passionately gritty at the same time.

He hits the notes but does not sound anything like Perry. The more I see reports like this the closer I get to becoming card carrying Loon.

Oh no! Surely the first sign of the apocalypse.

Donnaplease and ohsherrie have already offered to sponsor me.

[Don]

Words really don't do the uncanny resemblance justice. It's not just that Pineda can nail – I mean, flat-out perfectly nail – all of Perry's helium-high notes. It's more so that he unerringly mimics everything else about his voice – the tonal qualities, the phrasing and inflections, the way it can be both bell-like yet passionately gritty at the same time.

He hits the notes but does not sound anything like Perry. The more I see reports like this the closer I get to becoming card carrying Loon.

Oh no! Surely the first sign of the apocalypse.

Donnaplease and ohsherrie have already offered to sponsor me.

Membership fee waived? Cool

[Lora]

Words really don't do the uncanny resemblance justice. It's not just that Pineda can nail – I mean, flat-out perfectly nail – all of Perry's helium-high notes. It's more so that he unerringly mimics everything else about his voice – the tonal qualities, the phrasing and inflections, the way it can be both bell-like yet passionately gritty at the same time.

He hits the notes but does not sound anything like Perry. The more I see reports like this the closer I get to becoming card carrying Loon.

I hear ya. These reviews are just amusing to me. But you can't change your name to PerryIsGod cause, well, we'd have to call you Piggy.

[Michigan Girl]

Words really don't do the uncanny resemblance justice. It's not just that Pineda can nail – I mean, flat-out perfectly nail – all of Perry's helium-high notes. It's more so that he unerringly mimics everything else about his voice – the tonal qualities, the phrasing and inflections, the way it can be both bell-like yet passionately gritty at the same time.

He hits the notes but does not sound anything like Perry. The more I see reports like this the closer I get to becoming card carrying Loon.

I hear ya. These reviews are just amusing to me. But you can't change your name to PerryIsGod cause, well, we'd have to call you Piggy.

[Shadowsong]

Words really don't do the uncanny resemblance justice. It's not just that Pineda can nail – I mean, flat-out perfectly nail – all of Perry's helium-high notes. It's more so that he unerringly mimics everything else about his voice – the tonal qualities, the phrasing and inflections, the way it can be both bell-like yet passionately gritty at the same time.

He hits the notes but does not sound anything like Perry. The more I see reports like this the closer I get to becoming card carrying Loon.

I hear ya. These reviews are just amusing to me. But you can't change your name to PerryIsGod cause, well, we'd have to call you Piggy.

[NealIsGod]

I've been called worse, Lora.

[oakley_reef]

[donnaplease]

It's a good review. But, I doubt a lot are gonna forget about SP. If anything it makes them think more about him. I can listen & enjoy AP on the new stuff & then when I play SP I get "that rush"...an emotional connection that will always be.

I disagree. The casual fan, not those on this BB or the other place, asks "what happened to Steve Perry", then hears the first vocals out of Arnel's mouth, and for them, it is game/set/match "who cares what happened to Steve Perry." That is EXACTLY what the reaction was with the people seated (or standing for that matter) around me last night.

I agree with Tammy. The thing is, Journey IS a tribute to itself. They all know that, and have essentially admitted as much. Granted, they're doing well at this point, the CD has done much better than I had anticipated. I'd be tempted to say the buzz about them was similar (not as high, I'm sure) when SA joined, because it was something new and fresh, and well...new. I remember going to a show (my one and only with SA) and sitting in the audience being wowed at SA's ability to 'carry the torch' and therefore the message of the songs. But in the end it wasn't enough to keep me interested.

For the long-time fans (probably not those waving the Phillipine flag), every dirty dozen song carries it with a memory of an era gone by. Steve Perry's vocals, the videos, and the memories are deeply ingrained in us. At least for me, that will never go away. I was a huge Soto-pop (still am) but I didn't let it cloud my memories of what SP brought to the music.

I guess I'd have to say, 'enjoy the present, remember and respect the past'. Without it, there'd be no future...

[donnaplease]

Words really don't do the uncanny resemblance justice. It's not just that Pineda can nail – I mean, flat-out perfectly nail – all of Perry's helium-high notes. It's more so that he unerringly mimics everything else about his voice – the tonal qualities, the phrasing and inflections, the way it can be both bell-like yet passionately gritty at the same time.

He hits the notes but does not sound anything like Perry. The more I see reports like this the closer I get to becoming card carrying Loon.

I hear ya. These reviews are just amusing to me. But you can't change your name to PerryIsGod cause, well, we'd have to call you Piggy.

Don't let Piggy fool ya, Lora. He already has that card, I saw it. It's hiding deep within the crevices of his wallet (where he used to hide the neon pink condom).

[strangegrey]

Words really don't do the uncanny resemblance justice. It's not just that Pineda can nail – I mean, flat-out perfectly nail – all of Perry's helium-high notes. It's more so that he unerringly mimics everything else about his voice – the tonal qualities, the phrasing and inflections, the way it can be both bell-like yet passionately gritty at the same time.

He hits the notes but does not sound anything like Perry. The more I see reports like this the closer I get to becoming card carrying Loon.

I've said since the beginning that Arnel's timbre is SPOT on Perrys. Their Timbre is nearly identical. It's the other things that separate the two...diction, breathing, etc. But Timbre alone, you can't make a distinction between perry and arnel...it's that freaky.

The writer clearly doesn't know/understand or care to understand what timbre is, compared to inflections, phrasing...etc...because the phrasing and inflections are what makes Arnel different from perry. But Timbre....the two are so fucking close, it's scary....

[NealIsGod]

Timbre - In music, timbre (pronounced /ˈtam-bər'/, tɪm.bər like timber, or ˈtæm(brə),[1] from Fr. timbre tɛ̃bʁ) is the quality of a musical note or sound that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices or musical instruments. The physical characteristics of sound that mediate the perception of timbre include spectrum and envelope. Timbre is also known in psychoacoustics as sound quality or sound color.


What the eff?

[Lerxst101]

Marzdog is spot on. Get that e-mail to the boys and Azoff ASAP -- before my family and I see them in Jersey next month!!!

[Allied Forces]

I disagree. The casual fan, not those on this BB or the other place, asks "what happened to Steve Perry", then hears the first vocals out of Arnel's mouth, and for them, it is game/set/match "who cares what happened to Steve Perry." That is EXACTLY what the reaction was with the people seated (or standing for that matter) around me last night.

Didn't the drummer say that about Steve Augeri?

Sorry, but that is what you guys have been saying about every replacement since Perry left.

[Deb]

Words really don't do the uncanny resemblance justice. It's not just that Pineda can nail – I mean, flat-out perfectly nail – all of Perry's helium-high notes. It's more so that he unerringly mimics everything else about his voice – the tonal qualities, the phrasing and inflections, the way it can be both bell-like yet passionately gritty at the same time.

He hits the notes but does not sound anything like Perry. The more I see reports like this the closer I get to becoming card carrying Loon.

Oh no! Surely the first sign of the apocalypse.

Donnaplease and ohsherrie have already offered to sponsor me.

Follow the light, Niggy!

[Marzdog]

Yet many of the people seated around me DIDN'T know that there's been a SA or JSS the past 10 years. They simply asked "what happened to/where's Steve Perry?"

I disagree. The casual fan, not those on this BB or the other place, asks "what happened to Steve Perry", then hears the first vocals out of Arnel's mouth, and for them, it is game/set/match "who cares what happened to Steve Perry." That is EXACTLY what the reaction was with the people seated (or standing for that matter) around me last night.

Didn't the drummer say that about Steve Augeri?

Sorry, but that is what you guys have been saying about every replacement since Perry left.

[Onestepper]

Yet many of the people seated around me DIDN'T know that there's been a SA or JSS the past 10 years. They simply asked "what happened to/where's Steve Perry?"

I disagree. The casual fan, not those on this BB or the other place, asks "what happened to Steve Perry", then hears the first vocals out of Arnel's mouth, and for them, it is game/set/match "who cares what happened to Steve Perry." That is EXACTLY what the reaction was with the people seated (or standing for that matter) around me last night.

Didn't the drummer say that about Steve Augeri?

Sorry, but that is what you guys have been saying about every replacement since Perry left.

As mentioned previous, there were plenty around me pissed that JSS didn't sound enough like Perry. They wanted their money back.

[Allied Forces]

Yet many of the people seated around me DIDN'T know that there's been a SA or JSS the past 10 years. They simply asked "what happened to/where's Steve Perry?"

I disagree. The casual fan, not those on this BB or the other place, asks "what happened to Steve Perry", then hears the first vocals out of Arnel's mouth, and for them, it is game/set/match "who cares what happened to Steve Perry." That is EXACTLY what the reaction was with the people seated (or standing for that matter) around me last night.

Didn't the drummer say that about Steve Augeri?

Sorry, but that is what you guys have been saying about every replacement since Perry left.

Yes, so apparently the other singers did Perry well enough to appease fans for 10 years or so then? I just remembered the drummer saying that line on VH1. I have that on tape somewhere.

[JohnH]

It's a good review. But, I doubt a lot are gonna forget about SP. If anything it makes them think more about him. I can listen & enjoy AP on the new stuff & then when I play SP I get "that rush"...an emotional connection that will always be.

Bingo..well said. After the excellent Boston show two weeks ago I found myself thinking about Brad again alot and feeling very sad.

John

[Michigan Girl]

It's a good review. But, I doubt a lot are gonna forget about SP. If anything it makes them think more about him. I can listen & enjoy AP on the new stuff & then when I play SP I get "that rush"...an emotional connection that will always be.

Bingo..well said. After the excellent Boston show two weeks ago I found myself thinking about Brad again alot and feeling very sad.
John

I have never seen a Journey concert without SP....this will be my first and this is what I'm afraid of!!!!



......and not this fake crap!!!

[Don]

It's a good review. But, I doubt a lot are gonna forget about SP. If anything it makes them think more about him. I can listen & enjoy AP on the new stuff & then when I play SP I get "that rush"...an emotional connection that will always be.

Bingo..well said. After the excellent Boston show two weeks ago I found myself thinking about Brad again alot and feeling very sad.
John

I have never seen a Journey concert without SP....this will be my first and this is what I'm afraid of!!!!



......and not this fake crap!!!

If you start feeling that at the show MG, just roll a spliff and you'll get through it.

[Michigan Girl]

It's a good review. But, I doubt a lot are gonna forget about SP. If anything it makes them think more about him. I can listen & enjoy AP on the new stuff & then when I play SP I get "that rush"...an emotional connection that will always be.

Bingo..well said. After the excellent Boston show two weeks ago I found myself thinking about Brad again alot and feeling very sad.
John

I have never seen a Journey concert without SP....this will be my first and this is what I'm afraid of!!!!



......and not this fake crap!!!

If you start feeling that at the show MG, just roll a spliff and you'll get through it.

Is that what it's called these days?...I've heard BLUNT, I think my dealer is dead!!!